Lady Gaga's Restauranteur Father SLAMS NYC, Blames City's High Crime For Business Failures
Feb. 10 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
The father of pop icon Lady Gaga slammed New York City, blaming the Big Apple's high crime rate for the decline in business at his Upper West Side restaurant, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Lady Gaga's father, Joe Germanotta, 65, was born a stone's throw away from NYC in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but, he did not have kind words for his neighbors in the bustling city.
The restauranteur held little back when he discussed hot-topic issues that impact the city and business owners like himself.
Germanotta appeared on Fox Business Network to share his thoughts on inflation and crime.
The network's morning show host Maria Bartiromo asked the House of Gucci actress' father what NYC meant to him — and his response was brutal.
The restauranteur called the city a "mess" before launching into a scathing review.
Germanotta is a longtime restauranteur who owns the Upper West Side dining establishment, Joanne Trattoria. Before his current Italian restaurant, the New Jersey native owned the Grand Central Station's former Art Bird & Whiskey Bar.
"I think the city is a mess. It looks horrible," Germanotta told the Fox Business host. "People coming from Connecticut and Long Island, maybe they're going to Lincoln Center for a show... then they're walking around, it smells like weed everywhere."
NYC's famous Lenox Hill hospital may have welcomed his daughter to the world 36 years ago, but according to the famous father, the city has changed for the worse.
"The city looks terrible, from just probably four years ago," Germanotta continued. "It's dirtier, there's a lot more people out on the street. It seems filthy."
After he shared his initial response on the current cityscape, Bartiromo asked the business owner his thoughts on crime after she cited a Quinnipiac University poll that claimed 66% of New Yorkers believed their city was plagued with criminal activity.
Germanotta used his past back-due rent scandal to support the poll results.
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According to the Daily Mail, in 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Joanne Trattoria owner owed over $260k in rent to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for his Grand Central restaurant and bar.
Germanotta claimed that at the time, he struggled to pay the restaurant's astronomical rent — and blamed the city's homeless population for a reason he wanted out of the pricey lease.
"The homeless go in there to stay warm," Germanotta added. "We're compassionate, but it affects our customers. When the homeless invade our areas, it becomes a less attractive place."
